When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Matthew 8:1-4
It is not uncommon in the church I serve in to hear people talk about giving God your best. Specifically, I hear Christians talk about dressing a certain way when we come to church in order to give Him your best. I think I understand the heart behind this, but today I want to ask, what about giving Jesus your worst?
In Matthew 8 we come across a man who made it into the biblical record because he brought his worst to Jesus believing that He could heal him. And Jesus did heal him! I think this man's story is included in part so we can follow him as a model. Notice this man didn't have to tell Jesus what his problem was. His illness was obvious. He simply said “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Do you know that you can't hide your need any more than he could? You might be able to cover it up with a nice suit and tie at church. You might be able to hide it behind a fake smile at work. You might even be able to pass it off as "just being tired" at home. But you can't hide your sin, your brokenness, or your need from the Lord.
Are you trying to hide your sin? Do you do your best to keep your brokenness out of sight? Do you have secrets? Chances are you do. Most people don't enjoy airing their dirty laundry. But be careful you don't start to think that you are smarter than you really are, because you can't hide these things from God. They are as plain to Him as the nose on your face. He knows about your pride and your selfish ambition, your jealousy, and your greed. He knows about the lust, the pornography, and the affair that they led to. You wear it on your sleeve every time you enter His presence. You can't hide it from God.
I don't have a problem with dressing nice to go to church. In fact, I do it every Sunday. But you better make sure that the condition of your heart matches the condition of your clothes. Otherwise that suit or that dress may function more like a disguise than an outfit spiritually speaking. And to me it seems that it would be rather insulting to God for you to enter His presence week after week thinking that you were somehow fooling Him.
So today, why don't you bring Him your worst and ask Him to heal you? What sin is in your life that you haven't turned away from? Bring it to the Lord right now believing that because of His death on the cross He can forgive your sin and set you free from the power it holds over you. What part of you is broken and hurting and in need of a healing touch? Bring it to Jesus believing that it is easy for Him to heal you if it's His will. What discouragement has grabbed hold of you and is beating you down today? Bring that discouragement to Jesus. Be honest with Him about how you feel, then lift it up to Him and ask Him to give you the courage to persevere in growing nearer to Him.
God sees the worst in your life. You aren't fooling Him, so stop hiding it from Him. Bring it to Jesus and ask for healing.
For further reading...
- Matthew 11:28-30- Come to me, all you who are weary...
- Psalm 51- David's psalm of repentance.
- Matthew 8- Read the rest of Matthew 8 to encounter to mind blowing power of Christ.
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